← 30 May Thursday 31 May 2018 · to 23:59 UTC 1 Jun →
What the world's news said happened to people.
Counts of coverage, not of suffering
41,984 stories about harm· Trends· Every past day

We measure how the world's news covered people being harmed — and the help and hope within it.

How to read these numbers →

Most of the day's attention went to illness in Banjul, protests in Managua (Nicaragua) and arrests in Romania. Nicaragua's coverage was about twice as angry as the world's. Over the whole world, the tone was much softer than usual.

Part of lifeRights & justice 33 in 100 of the stories about harm · more than usual Country that rose mostGambia 68 in 100 of its 212 stories, usually 23
RegionEvery region about as usual
Tone of the words Much softer than usual across the world's stories about harm

What the world's news was about today

how these are picked →
Health

Gambia

145 of its 212 stories (68%) were about people being harmed, usually 23%. Banjul accounted for 135 of the Gambia's 145 stories about harm, carried by 148 outlets. Reports of people affected ran at more than ten times the usual rate (123 stories). HIV was named in 134 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual. Its coverage was about twice as angry as the world's.

Protests & strikes

Nicaragua

319 of its 350 stories (91%) were about people being harmed, usually 76%. Managua accounted for 283 of Nicaragua's 319 stories about harm, carried by 222 outlets. 242 of Managua's 283 stories were about protests or strikes. Reports of arrests ran at about twice the usual rate (112 stories). Its coverage was about twice as angry as the world's.

Rights & justice

Romania

171 of its 419 stories (41%) were about people being harmed, usually 10%. Reports of arrests ran at about three times the usual rate (16 stories). Drownings were named in 14 of its stories about harm, more than ten times usual. Its coverage was about one and a half times as angry as the world's. Fear in its coverage rose to about twice its own usual.

Conflict & violence

Syria

Damascus accounted for 231 of Syria's 476 stories about harm, carried by 166 outlets. Reports of refugees ran at about twice the usual rate (83 stories). Hunger was named in 13 of its stories about harm, about 4 times usual. Its coverage was about twice as angry as the world's.

6 more places the news pointed at
Rights & justice

Lithuania

50 of its 97 stories (52%) were about people being harmed, usually 10%. Reports of people killed ran at about twice the usual rate (17 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as fearful as the world's.

Rights & justice

Bolivia

49 of its 82 stories (60%) were about people being harmed, usually 22%. Reports of people killed ran at about 5 times the usual rate (47 stories). Its coverage was about twice as grief-stricken as the world's. Anger in its coverage rose to about one and a half times its own usual.

Conflict & violence

Belgium

206 of its 393 stories (52%) were about people being harmed, usually 31%. Brussels accounted for 147 of Belgium's 206 stories about harm, carried by 145 outlets. Its coverage was about twice as angry as the world's.

Rights & justice

Finland

75 of its 285 stories (26%) were about people being harmed, usually 16%. Reports of arrests ran at about 4 times the usual rate (5 stories). Its coverage was about one and a half times as angry as the world's.

Rights & justice

Guatemala

38 of its 93 stories (41%) were about people being harmed, usually 33%. Reports of arrests ran at about three times the usual rate (31 stories). Its coverage was about twice as grief-stricken as the world's.

Conflict & violence

Afghanistan

Kabul accounted for 156 of Afghanistan's 255 stories about harm, carried by 125 outlets. Reports of arrests ran at about 7 times the usual rate (54 stories). Its coverage was about twice as angry as the world's.

Also named far more than usual: hiv in Chile (21 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); wildfires in Mexico (35 of its stories, about 4 times its usual); polio in South Sudan (13 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); cyclone in Myanmar (11 of its stories, more than ten times its usual); poisoning in Ukraine (27 of its stories, about three times its usual).

20 in 100 stories were about harm

usually 21; 21 the day before
24 in 10019 in 1002 May9 May16 May23 May31 May2 May: 19 in 1003 May: 20 in 1004 May: 20 in 1005 May: 23 in 1006 May: 24 in 1007 May: 22 in 1008 May: 20 in 1009 May: 20 in 10010 May: 21 in 10011 May: 20 in 10012 May: 22 in 10013 May: 24 in 10014 May: 22 in 10015 May: 22 in 10016 May: 20 in 10017 May: 21 in 10018 May: 22 in 10019 May: 23 in 10020 May: 23 in 10021 May: 21 in 10022 May: 20 in 10023 May: 19 in 10024 May: 20 in 10025 May: 21 in 10026 May: 22 in 10027 May: 22 in 10028 May: 23 in 10029 May: 23 in 10030 May: 21 in 10031 May: 20 in 100 · this day

Stories about people being harmed, in every 100 stories, the 30 days to 31 May. The big dot is this day; the shaded band is a normal day (the 30 days before it). Click a day to open it. Based on 41,984 stories about harm among 213,317 counted on 31 May.

Read the day's briefing

The Gambia's news was 68% about people being harmed, against a usual 23%. In the Gambia's news, mentions of HIV ran more than ten times their usual. On 31 May 2017, a year earlier, the share was 22 in every 100, against 20 today. 20 in every 100 of the day's 213,317 news stories were about people being harmed, below the usual 21.

Written by code from the day's numbers.

Where it happened

feelings in full →
Feelings Events Harm Warmth
Girishk, Afghanistan -- attacks & violence: 7 stories, carried by 28 outlets; harsh wording in 100 in 100Tuticorin, India -- protests & strikes: 82 stories, carried by 37 outlets; harsh wording in 100 in 100Tokyo, Japan -- attacks & violence: 122 stories, carried by 93 outlets; harsh wording in 82 in 100Tehran, Iran -- attacks & violence: 74 stories, carried by 65 outlets; harsh wording in 100 in 100Berlin, Germany -- attacks & violence: 75 stories, carried by 61 outlets; harsh wording in 96 in 100Yorkshire, UK -- accidents & disasters: 56 stories, carried by 102 outlets; harsh wording in 64 in 100Golan Heights, Syria -- attacks & violence: 54 stories, carried by 46 outlets; harsh wording in 96 in 100Sydney, Australia -- accidents & disasters: 196 stories, carried by 149 outlets; harsh wording in 80 in 100West Midlands, UK -- accidents & disasters: 82 stories, carried by 90 outlets; harsh wording in 82 in 100Bangkok, Thailand -- protests & strikes: 72 stories, carried by 72 outlets; harsh wording in 94 in 100Nuevo Laredo, Mexico -- protests & strikes: 65 stories, carried by 63 outlets; harsh wording in 100 in 100Pyongyang, North Korea -- accidents & disasters: 110 stories, carried by 178 outlets; harsh wording in 86 in 100Big Island, New Zealand -- accidents & disasters: 8 stories, carried by 71 outlets; harsh wording in 100 in 100Brussels, Belgium -- attacks & violence: 147 stories, carried by 145 outlets; harsh wording in 92 in 100Kiev, Ukraine -- attacks & violence: 155 stories, carried by 152 outlets; harsh wording in 100 in 100Messines, Australia -- attacks & violence: 95 stories, carried by 96 outlets; harsh wording in 100 in 100Bluefields, Nicaragua -- protests & strikes: 9 stories, carried by 105 outlets; harsh wording in 100 in 100Kabul, Afghanistan -- attacks & violence: 156 stories, carried by 125 outlets; harsh wording in 97 in 100Banjul, Gambia -- disease & outbreaks: 135 stories, carried by 148 outlets; harsh wording in 98 in 100Damascus, Syria -- attacks & violence: 231 stories, carried by 166 outlets; harsh wording in 98 in 100Managua, Nicaragua -- protests & strikes: 283 stories, carried by 222 outlets; harsh wording in 99 in 100Moscow, Russia -- attacks & violence: 357 stories, carried by 325 outlets; harsh wording in 98 in 100Albemarle, US -- accidents & disasters: 268 stories, carried by 434 outlets; harsh wording in 98 in 100Hawaii County, US -- accidents & disasters: 246 stories, carried by 431 outlets; harsh wording in 99 in 100
Attacks & violenceAccidents & disastersPeople displacedDeaths, cause not givenProtests & strikesDisease & outbreaks

The day's biggest events: attacks, accidents and disasters, people displaced, protests, outbreaks. Bigger dot: more stories. Ranked by the share of the day's outlets that reported it and how clearly it was about one thing, the same way for every place and year; the news data does not say who attacked whom, so both sides of a war appear where the news put them. Click a dot for its stories.

The day in three measures

How it felt 30 days →

harshwarm

The words in the day's stories were much softer than usual. Filled dot: today. Ring: usual.

● Angerabout as usual
● Warmthabout as usual
● Griefa little less than usual
● Fearabout as usual

From the words reporters used across the whole day, never one story. Fear is the weakest of the four measures. How?

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How to read these numbers →

These are counts of stories, not counts of suffering. Most of what happens to people is never reported at all.